Welcome to District 4 - Serving Berryessa, North Valley, Alviso, North San Jose
Thank you for visiting the District 4 online office! I am honored to be serving the neighborhoods of Berryessa, Alviso, North San Jose, and North Valley on the City Council. This website serves to keep you informed on the work that I do to represent our neighborhoods and residents. Please visit frequently to view my photo gallery and check out the latest news and updates.
If you
have any concerns, please don't hesitate to call us at (408)
535-4904 or send us an email at district4@sanjoseca.gov.
Winners from the District 4 Photography Contest
This year, my office and the San Jose Parks Foundation hosted the 2nd Annual Pride of District 4 Photography Contest. This was a great opportunity for students to show their talent and art in the community. Middle and high school students were encouraged to submit a photograph that expresses what the neighborhood means to them, what they are proud of, and what inspires them in Alviso, Berryessa, and North San Jose.
There were over 30 entries this year and three winners in each age group were chosen. San Jose Parks Foundation, Executive Director, James Reber who has attended the U.S. Naval School of Photography assisted with the judging. We both felt that all the photos had amazing qualities and was truly impressed by the work of such young photographers. Thank you again to all the students who participated in this year's photography contest.
Here are the winners for this year's 2nd Annual Pride of District 4 Photography Contest:
Middle School Student Winners:
1st Place: Megan Nguyen
2nd Place: Jarrett Chen
3rd Place: Connor Hares
High School Student Winners:
1st Place: Amanda Reyes
2nd Place: Lillian Bui
3rd Place: Ronald Tran
Proposed Noble Dog Park
A community meeting was held on February 1st to review plans to develop a dog park on Noble Avenue, adjacent to Noble House. Approximately 30 community members attended this meeting. Staff from the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services reviewed the proposed plans for an off-leash, fenced dog park that will include a small dog area and a large dog area. Funding is available for design, construction, and the operation and maintenance of this dog park. If you were unable to attend the meeting, you can view the staff presentation here.
Commodore Park Design and Plans
I have remained committed to seeing the build out for the long awaited Commodore Park and I am pleased that we are able to move this project forward without any impact to the City's general fund. Residents in the neighborhood have been looking forward to the build out of this park for over 30 years. A community meeting was held on January 26th to review plans to develop Commodore Park, located at the intersection of Commodore Drive and North Jackson Avenue. Over 25 community members attended this meeting. Staff from the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services reviewed the park plans that will include a tot lot and youth lot, fitness station, picnic area, and parking. This will be the City's 2nd park fitness center. In addition, both playgrounds will be fully accessible via ramps, adaptive swings, and multiple activity areas for children of different capabilities. If you were unable to attend the meeting, you can view the staff presentation here.
Start Shopping with Reusable Bags Now
In December 2010, the City adopted a Single-Use Carryout Bag ordinance that bans single use plastic carryout bags; the ordinance will begin on January 1, 2012 at which point consumers at all grocery and retail stores in San Jose will have the option to bring their own reusable bags or pay a minimum price for recycled-content paper bags. Consider the following to prepare for the ordinance:
A high-quality reusable bag has the potential to replace over 600 single-use plastic bags over its lifetime. Plastic bags are one of the most common litter items found in creek cleanups. Paper bags are just as problematic taking 14 million trees each year in the United States to produce a year's supply for retail use. Shopping with reusable bags is a great way to take part in reducing litter and conserving natural resources. Consider the following to help you avoid the bag charge:
Start shopping with a reusable bag now.
Keep reusable bags by the door, in your car, or near car keys.
Keep foldable bags in pockets, backpacks, or your purse.
Give your friends and family a reusable bag, and encourage them to start shopping with them today.
Every 10 years, after new population figures from the decennial census are released by the U.S. Census Bureau, San Jose establishes new City Council District boundaries. These boundaries determine which Council District represents each resident, and ensures equal representation for all San Jose residents.
On August 23, 2011, the City Council approved the recommendation of the 2011 Redistricting Advisory Commission. An ordinance establishing new City Council District boundaries will become effective on October 13, 2011.
I would like to take this time to thank Mike Flaugher, our District 4 Redistricting Advisory Commission Member, for his time and efforts. Mike's knowledge and understanding of the City's boundaries and resources has made him a good representative for District 4.
The commission recommended one boundary change for District 4. According to Census 2010, District 4 had the largest population (102,999 persons) of any District, and must contract to meet minimum legal requirements. Given District 4's geographic location adjacent to Council Districts 3 and 5 only, and otherwise mostly bounded by the cities of Santa Clara and Milpitas, redistricting options for boundary adjustments were somewhat limited. Throughout the redistricting process, numerous District 4 boundary change options were considered, including providing population to District 5 only, to District 3 only, and to a combination of Districts 3 and 5. However, the Commission ultimately opted for a solution that contracts District 4 by providing population to District 3 only.
This solution helps preserve the status quo in rough alignment of the existing District 4/District 5 boundary with the Berryessa Union School District in response to considerable public input. The recommendation to provide population to District 3 is designed to align with the eastern boundary of the adjacent Orchard School District, for a total population of 99,892 persons.
For more information about the redistricting, to view a large map of where boundary changes will take place, and view the list of impacted streets from the redistricting process, please click here.
Sign Up for AlertSCC
The City of San Jose is participating in a new Countywide Emergency Notification System that will provide timely and lifesaving information to anyone who lives or works in Santa Clara County.
The AlertSCC system can send thousands of text and voice messages within minutes to home phones, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDA’s), laptops, desktop computers, and TTY/TDD devices for the hearing impaired using 411 and 911 databases. The system cannot reach cell phones, PDA’s, computers, and devices for the hearing impaired, UNLESS those cell phone numbers and email addresses are registered with the system.
AlertSCC can reach you wherever you are almost immediately to provide information and instructions for a variety of emergency situations, including:
Wildfires and subsequent evacuations
Shelter, transportation, or supply information following a major disaster
Other public safety incidents that immediately affect your neighborhood
Registering takes only a few minutes through a simple online process. Anyone who lives or works in Santa Clara County is encouraged to register their cell phone number and email address by going to http://www.alertscc.com/. Click on “Participating Cities” on the left sidebar to register.Select your city from the menu to register your contact information (up to three phone numbers, two email addresses, and one SMS text message number). Click here to register directly with the City of San Jose.
The personal phone number and email addresses you register with AlertSCC are confidential and secure and will only be used by authorized County or City personnel, and will not be shared with any private company.
The County of Santa Clara purchased the system and is rolling it out to San Jose, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Saratoga, Cupertino, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Milpitas, Gilroy, Campbell, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and Los Altos Hill.
Registering for AlertSCC is one of the fastest, easiest, and most immediately productive things you can do to better prepare for an emergency. I encourage anyone who lives or works in Santa Clara County to register with AlertSCC. Your ability to receive fast, accurate information can help you survive in an emergency.
If you have not been able to
pick up a copy at various District 4 Community events and
at the Berryessa and Alviso Libraries, please feel free to
browse the newsletter here.
Inside, there is information
about what's been happening in District 4 and notices about
upcoming events.
As your Councilmember, it is important for me to know what is happening in our community. I am always trying to find new ways to make my office more accessible throughout District 4. Since I have been elected to serve you in 2007, I have committed over 100 hours in community office hours to receive feedback and provide assistance to residents with over 150 cases. I have enjoyed meeting with many of you and being able to assist you regarding City issues. I encourage you to continue to take advantage of the community office hours so that I may be of assistance to you all.
Upcoming dates:
Please call (408) 535-4904 to schedule a 15 minute appointment. Residents are also welcome to drop in and visit during these times. However, please be advised that drop-in appointments may have to wait.
Council District 4
200 East Santa Clara Street, San Jose, CA 95113
tel. (408) 535-4904 fax (408) 292-6459 district4@sanjoseca.gov
The City of San Jose is committed to open and honest government and strives to consistently meet the community’s expectations by providing excellent service, in a positive and timely manner, and in the full view of the public.
In December 2010, the City adopted a Single-Use Carryout Bag ordinance that bans single use plastic carryout bags; the ordinance will begin on January 1, 2012 at which point consumers at all grocery and retail stores in San Jose will have the option to bring their own reusable bags or pay a minimum price for recycled-content paper bags. Consider the following to prepare for the ordinance:
